The history of Mercedes-Benz is not just the history of another brand of car, it is the history of the entire automotive industry. At the origins of the legendary company were two companies - Benz and Daimler. They are significant in that their creators, in fact, invented the car in the form in which it is known to this day. Perhaps we would now go on another transport, if not for this manufacturer.
A country
Mercedes was created in Germany - a country with a pedantic and pragmatic outlook. As you know, special attention is paid to the little things. This company as a result did not become the only German concern that makes quality cars. However, she retained her leadership position.
The Origin of a Legend
Karl Benz founded his company back in 1871. And since 1886, he sold the world's first self-propelled wagon running on a gasoline engine. She was not in great demand among customers, and if not for the wife of Benz Marta, perhaps nothing would have happened. In 1888, without asking her spouse, she carried out a voyage to a neighboring city in a wheelchair. She did not even think that a simple trip would be a great PR company. People who saw how a girl was riding on a wonderful device immediately became interested in him. Martha was not only courageous, but also technically competent, and upon returning home, she invited her husband to do something similar to a modern checkpoint.
The merger of the two companies into one group called Daimler-Benz AG took place in 1926. Since the word "Daimler" in some European countries fell under legal restrictions, it was decided to sell cars under the name Mercedes-Benz. The first designers of the company was Ferdinand Porsche. As an emblem, they chose the DMG badge - a three-beam star, which meant the superiority of the company in three elements: on earth, on water and in the sky. This is due to the fact that at the beginning of the twentieth century, Daimler produced not only cars, but also engines for airplanes and boats.
The main stages of the development of the company
During the Second World War, the company produced cars and trucks, as well as engines for aircraft. When the Mercedes factories were almost completely destroyed in September 1944 during a two-week bombardment, the board said that the company was actually gone. But this, as you know, did not end the history of the company Mercedes. The manufacturing country recovered, and in 1946 the company was revived.
For a while, the company produced exclusively pickups, which were very convenient for restoration work in German cities. And only in 1949 the first post-war model of a passenger car was released. In 1993, the models received the marking that is still in use today - letters denoting the class (A, C, E, S, etc.) and numbers indicating the volume of the engine. In 1997, the concern acquired Chrysler and became known as Daimler-Chrysler AG.
After 10 years, in 2007, the company again changed its name and became known as Daimler AG. To this day it is called the same, and Mercedes-Benz is its division. The company is headquartered in Stuttgart. The manufacturing country remained unchanged. Mercedes cars today dictate fashion and continue to maintain their leadership positions. The most iconic models will be listed below.
Sports
Mercedes-Benz S, launched in 1927. The car was designed by F. Porsche. He perfectly combined speed, reliability and comfort. This model was able to set more than one speed record.
The next iconic model was released after a quarter of a century - the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, which was also called the “Seagull Wing”. The car was the first sports model released after the war. In addition, he is considered one of the most legendary Mercedes cars. The manufacturing country was proud of this car, and in 2009 it became the prototype of the modern supercar - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.
Sedans
In 1963, the Mercedes-Benz 600 rolled off the assembly line - the very legendary "six-hundredth Mercedes." He earned the status of the most prestigious sedan of the 20th century. This car was driven exclusively by wealthy people: heads of state, major businessmen, movie stars and mafia leaders.
In 1976, the Mercedes-Benz W123 model went on sale . She, of course, is considered one of the most successful and reliable models of the company. Such machines were produced about 2.7 million. Today they can be found on the roads of many countries, including countries of the former USSR.
In 1991, the Mercedes-Benz S W140 appeared. It is considered a cult for the entire post-Soviet space of the 1990s. By the way, the first Russian to buy this car was V. Zhirinovsky.
SUV
In 1979, the world saw a civilian version of the cult army army SUV Mercedes. The manufacturing country is still proud of this model. As you already understood, we are talking about the Mercedes-Benz G-Class “Geländewagen”. This model turned out to be a real long-liver. Now it is considered a luxury SUV, but once it was just a reliable "workhorse". This car is still available, and its popularity is only growing.
Company History in Russia
It's hard to believe, but in 1901 in tsarist Russia it was already possible to meet a Mercedes car. The country of origin sold trucks for the Russian army. After the Second World War, German cars were quite actively imported into the territory of the USSR. In the period from 1946 to 1969. at least 600 cars (cars, trucks and buses) were brought in.
At exhibitions of the 70s, which took place in the USSR, Mercedes presented mainly freight equipment. In the 80s, only L. Brezhny and V. Vysotsky had new “Mercedes”. In 1978, the German company was the official supplier of the Moscow Olympics. And two years later, the first Mercedes-Benz office opened in the capital. Two more, after the collapse of the Union, the first official dealer appeared - LogoVAZ-Belyaevo. In 1994, the official representative office of the Stuttgart company was opened.
In 2010, on the basis of the KamAZ enterprise, Mercedes began to produce trucks. The country of manufacture, the city and some production features have changed, but the quality has remained the same, because the German company puts forward special requirements for it. Three years later, the production of Mercedes Sprinter commercial vehicles was launched at the facilities of GAZ. Soon, it is possible that a Mercedes car will also be assembled on the territory of the Russian Federation. The country of origin resolves this issue with Russia.
In the 1990s, W123, W124, W140 (the same "six hundredth") and Gelentvagen became cult models for Russia. Since then, to this day, cars of this brand are considered the most prestigious, including among politicians. Today the Mercedes lineup consists of 16 classes.
Interesting Facts
The inventors of the first car of a modern type - Daimler and Benz - lived only 100 kilometers from each other, but never met until they created the Mercedes Benz concern. The manufacturing country, Germany, clearly succeeded in educating talented engineers.
There is a version that before choosing a three-beam star as an emblem, the Daimler company wanted to give preference to an elephant or an orange. Imagine a black tinted Gelentvagen with an elephant on the hood. But this could happen.
In 2007, Mercedes-Benz launched its own Internet television.
Mercedes-Benz is the only car company that allows the use of its groundwork in the field of safety in cars of other companies. The German automaker was the first to launch production of cars with independent suspension of all wheels and with a diesel engine. Also, the ABS system was first installed on these cars in 1978, airbags in 1981 and the ESP system in 1995.
The car Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR in 1955 set a speed record in the endurance race - 159.65 km / h, which was not beaten. In the same year, this model was in a major disaster and the history of motor sports. That day, 80 spectators and a car pilot were injured.
The Gelentvagen model is officially in service with the Swiss army.
The Mercedes-Benz company appeared so long ago that gas was then sold in pharmacies.
Mercedes and famous people
The Mercedes 300 SL of 1954, had a “seagull wing” door, for which Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe were very fond. In addition, in 1999 the model was recognized as the best sports car of the twentieth century.
Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, regularly purchased the new Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG just to drive without numbers. The fact is that, according to the laws of California, a new car can not be registered for 6 months after purchase.
In the film Seventeen Moments of Spring, Stirlitz drives a Mercedes MV-230 car.
Vladimir Vysotsky loved high-speed driving. Once he rolled over on his Mercedes as many as 17 times. The fact that he survived indicates a high level of safety in Mercedes-Benz cars. The manufacturing country is extremely serious about the issue of car safety, and this applies not only to the company that became the hero of our conversation, but also to other German auto giants.
Conclusion
So, we found out what distinguishes the Mercedes company, which manufacturing country gives these beautiful cars to the world, what stages the more than centuries-old history of the company consisted of, and what happened during that time. Now we can make a small conclusion about the Stuttgart concern.
Quite complex and eventful was the history of the leading automobile brand Mercedes. The country is a manufacturer of cars - Germany definitely knows how to make quality cars. Despite the conservative design, German models are very popular among all age categories of motorists. They are a sign of prestige and wealth. But it all began, as often happens, with simple domestic developments and innovative ideas of two ordinary engineers. And it is not unknown what we would ride now, if not the development of the Mercedes company. The country of manufacture of these machines - Germany - has become a symbol of high-quality and advanced automotive industry. Let's see how it will delight us further.